Separation apparatus



Sept. 8, 1942. e; s. DUNHAM' 2,295,101

- SEPARATION APPARATUS Filed Aug; :5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR EUEHE S.Dunham Sept. 8 1942. A e. s. DUNHAM SEPARATION APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1940 INVENTOR A Ben Patented Sept. 8, 1942 UNlTED STATES ATENT OFFICE SEPARATION APPARATUS George S. Dunham, Ardmore, Pa, assignor to Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 3, 1940, No. 350,582

g Claims. (Cl. 183-83) This invention relates to apparatus for the preparation of charging stocks with particular reference to improved apparatus for the separation of entrained liquid material such as heavy ends, for instance material of an asphaltic or tar like consistency, from lower boiling material. Products obtained by such procedures are of special utility as charging stocks for cracking especially in vapor phase.

Extremely high boiling materials in charging stocks for vapor phase catalytic cracking are con- From the inner end of the inlet pipe 0 a horn" 9 extends partially about the shell to introduce material into the shell in the form of a wide, flat, jet tangentially to and spread vertically along the inner surface of the separating chamber. The horn 9 comprises an upper wall I0 which is substantially horizontal and has one edge thereof shaped to conform to the inner surface of shell I and has the other edge shaped to reduce grad ually the width of the top wall from substantially the diameter of the pipe 8 to a relatively ducive to the deposition of large quantities of a coke like material in the catalyst bed, and, in addition thereto, in the case of many charging stocks, impurities, detrimental to the-activity of cracking catalysts, are contained predominantly in the high boiling material. In the separation of such heavy ends by vaporization of the lower boiling material and mechanical removal of the unvaporized heavy ends therefrom, it is desirable to obtain the most rapid action possible between the heating of the charge and quenching of the removed material in order to prevent coking of the material. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide apparatus of low initial and operating costs to separate such high boiling heavy ends rapidly and efficiently.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious from a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which is shown a preferred form of the invention and in which: a

Fig. l is a vertical section through the separator substantially on the line ll in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the distributor, passing through the axial line of the inlet pipe and substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical fragmentary section through .40

the inlet horn on the plane of line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, a casing is provided comprising a cylindrical side wall 4, a top wall 5, and a bottom wall 6, suitably constructed to withstand the pressure under which it is desired to operate. An internal cylindrical shell or wear plate I is pro vided in the upper portion of the casing of a size such that the external surface thereof is in close proximity to the internal surface of the side wall.

An inlet pipe 8 extends through the casing and throughthe cylindrical shell I near the upper end of the latter and to a point such that .the innerend of the pipe lies in a plane through the central axis of the shell.

narrow width at its opposite end remote from pipe 8. The lower wall ll of horn 9 is placed in an inclined position with one end thereof immediately below inlet pipe 8 and the other end thereof below the small end of wall I0 adjacent the lower end of shell I. The outer edge of wall H is shaped to conform to the inner surface of 1 shell I. The inner edge of the wall II is shaped to lie vertically below the inner edge of the upper wall I0 when both are in their described positions. The walls Ill and II are secured to shell I as by gussets l2 and angles Il secured thereto and bolted tdgshell I. An inner vertical plate II is secured to the inner edges of members It and H and is shaped to conform thereto. At the juncture of inlet pipe 8 and horn 9, a partition I6 is pFovided having a circular opening'therein in which the pipe is secured and having its outer edge shaped to conform to members 1, I0, II

and I5 and secured thereto. To form a streamlined covering for inlet pipe 8, thereby to prevent a detrimental effect of the pipe on the flow of a material within the separator and to assist in the downward spiraling of introduced material, the walls III, II and I5 may be extended from the large end of the horn 9 to cover the pipe and to converge as shown without sharp angles into the curve of shell I. p

A downwardly converging truncated conical member I1 is positioned below shell I, coaxially with the casing and with its upper edge between shell I and side wall 4. A collar I9 is. secured to and depends from the lower edge of cone II with the lower end of the collar spaced a substantial distance from bottom wall 6. Suitable bracing bars 20 for cone Il may be secured to the side wall 4 and collar I9. A pipe 2i extends through and is secured in side wall 4 and communicates through collar I9 to introduce a cooling flux into separated heavy bottoms to prevent coking thereof.

A vapor outlet pipe 22 is provided in the upper end of the separator axially thereof, communicating out of top wall 5 and with its lower end generally at the level of the upper portion of cone Braces 23 are secured to the cone I! and to the lower end of vapor outlet pipe 22. A conical shield 24 is supported by brackets 25 secured to outlet pipe 2'! to prevent entrance of separated liquid into tl-e outlet pipe upon variation of the pressure upon the outlet, as may be produced when shifting the flow of vapors from outlet pipe 22 from one reaction zone to another. A liquid outlet pipe 26 is secured to and communicates through lower wall 6.

In operation, material from which it is desired to separate heavy bottoms is heated to a temperature to vaporize all but the undesired constituents and is introduced into the separator through pipe 8, either in liquid phase or following vaporization.

- mation of coke which otherwise would deposit The temperature and pressure are preferably so regulated that all but a minor percent. of

. the material will be in vapor phase when introduced into the horn and thereby into the separating zone. If no viscosity breaking is desired the temperature iselevated to a point below that at which cracking will occur and suificient pressure is maintained to retain the heavy ends in liquid phase. If some viscosity breaking is desired the temperature is maintained higher, whereby limited cracking occurs and the pressure is increased whereby the undesired constituents are present as liquid. Input material is introduced into the separating zone by the pipe 8 and the horn 9. As the horn is curved some of the heavy material may deposit upon the shell 1 within the horn. Flow of this deposited material along the inclined bottom of the horn is assisted by the flow of vapor. In commercial sizes of separators'the end of the horn has about onehalf to one-third the cross-sectional area of the pipe 8 which is the size normally employed to conduct the desired cubic footage of vapor. At the outlet end of the horn the vapor is introduced into the separating zone at a linear velocity which in accord with this invention is generally sufficient to produce an angular velocity of at least about two revolutions per second, preferably about three revolutions per second. Such a high rate, it-has been found, efiects particularly rapid separation of heavy liquid ends from vaporized hydrocarbons, though under certain special conditions an angular velocity below about two revolutions'per second may be cmployed. The charge is constricted by the horn to a stream of at least ten times the extent along the cylindrical boundary of the zone as the radial extent thereof, and is introduced into the zone tangentially against the bounding wall of the zone. The horn being downwardly inclined the charge is given thereby a slight downward component. The lower inclined surface of the horn also conduces, by action on vapors,. to movement in the zone in downward direction. As the vapors whorl around within the zone the liquid entrained by the vapor is deposited upon the cylindrical and conical walls. Such deposited liquid runs down the walls and is. chilled by the flux introduced through pipe 2| sufficiently to prevent coking of the heavy ends in the separator. The vapors, after deposition of heavy ends, move to the center of the separator and are removed through the outlet pipe 22.

It has been found advantageous to employ an outer casing surrounding the conical portion. Such a construction allows a body of cooled separated material to be held in close proximity to the completely separated material so that the -three. named members forming a separating.

hot material can be efiectively cooled immediately following separation, thus avoiding forin the lower end of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention: 1. A separator for removing entrained liquid from vapors comprising a cylindrical casing incylindrical'portion of said zone and having an open end communicating with said zone, said duct decreasing in width and increasing in height along its length toward said open end sufliciently that the opening in said end is at least ten times as high as it is wide, and an inlet pipe communicat'ng with said duct for introducing charge thereinto.

'2. A separator for removing entrained liquid from vapors, comprising a vertical cylindrical wall, a closure for the upper end of said wall, and a downwardly converging truncated conical means located axially within said cylindrical wall and engaged thereto below the top thereof, these chamber, and an inlet duct for introducing material to be separated thereinto, said duct,

having a closed end connected with the exterior of the separator through a feed pipe, and an open end communicating with the interior of the separator, said duct having a rectangular vertical cross-section, the vertical dimension of said duct being continuously increased and the horizontal dimension being continuously decreased while passing along said duct from closed to open end, the duct being placed against the inner periphery of the cylindrical wall and extending a substantial distance along said wall.

3. A separator for removing entrained liquid from vapors, comprising a vertical cylindrical wall, a closure for the upper end of said wall, and a downwardly converging truncated conical means located axially within said cylindrical wall and engaged thereto below the top thereof, these three named members forming a separating chamber, and an inlet duct for introducing material to be separated thereinto, said duct having a closed end connected with communicating with the interior of the separator, said duct having a rectangular vertical cross-section, the vertical dimension of said duct being continuously increased and the horizontal dimension being continuously decreased whilev passing along said duct from closed to open end, said open end being about ten times as high as wide, the duct being placed against the inner periphery of the cylindrical wall and extending a substantial distance along said wall.

4. A separator for removing entrained liquid from vapors comprising a cylindrical casing ineluding a cylindrical wall and closures for the upper and lower ends thereof, truncated conical means within said casing having its larger upper end contiguous to said cylindrical wall and at a point below the upper end of the wall and with the smaller lower end of the means spaced both the exterior of the separator through a feed pipe, and an open end 1 from the cylindrical wall and from the closure for the lower end of the casing, thereby to define a separating zone, cylindrical in'its upper portion and conical in its lower portion, a curved inlet duct extending at least partially about the cylindrical portion of said zone and having an open end communicating with said zone, said duct decreasing in width and increasing in height along its length toward said open end sufficiently that the material flowing therefrom is disposed as a thin sheet about the inner periphery of the separator, and an inlet pipe communicating with said duct for introducing charge thereinto.

5. A separator for removing entrained liquid from vapors, comprising a vertical cylindrical wall, a closure for the upper end of said wall, and a downwardly converging truncated conical means located axially within said cylindrical wall and engaged thereto below the top thereof, these three named members forming a separating chamber, and an inlet duct for introducing material to be separated thereinto, said duct having a closed end connected with the exterior of the separator through a feed pipe. and an open end communicating with the interior of the separator, said duct having a rectangular vertical cross-section, the vertical dimension of said duct being continuously increased and the horizontal dimension being continuously decreased while passing along said duct from closed to open end, the upper boundary of said duct being located substantially horizontally, the duct being placed against the inner periphery of the cylindrical wall and extending a substantial distance along said wall.

GEORGE S. DUNHAM. 

